Cat Burrito

I'm really a bassist but I currently play lead guitar in one of my band and over the last 10 years of a 30yr playing career, as well as bass, I have ventured onto guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica and upright bass with varying degrees of success. These days I really enjoy guitar simply because I put the work into my playing and have got more confident but bass is something that I will always have roots with. I should add I still regularly gig and record with bass too, it's just the guitar band is busier.

I never really have a definitive list but just recently I have been really appreciating the brilliance of Stu Cook from Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Go with the flow, whatever works

I had an all original 1978 mocha brown Fender Precision bass. It was lightweight (which always used to amuse me reading the comments about them being heavy) and was a genuinely stunning player. I sold it only when I had a change in financial circumstances. A lot is said on forums but you won't truly know until you try it yourself.

[quote name='spyder' timestamp='1465649131' post='3069934']Just noticed you use a PF-50T... its new on my GAS list. [/quote] A blast from the past Marc! The PF-50T is great but just watch it with very early Portaflex cabs as the internal dimensions are different so if it was produced in the first 6 months of production the head won't sit inside if you flip the lid, despite what Ampeg tell you. (I had to get a brand new identical cab).

It's nasty and sadly encouraged on forums like this. I had 2 basses for years, got online and had 30 instruments in the house! I've been clean (down to 9) since 2011 but it's a constant struggle. We all joke about it but it's got a very real dark side. And the 50s Squiers are great

My old Peavey combo was (mis)used by me for well over 20 years and I sold it on. I think it's easy to overthink these things sometimes.

[attachment=221313:Squier-Vintage-Modified-Cabronita-Precision-Bass-620x173.jpg] A couple of years ago I was surprised with a birthday gift of the Squier Cabronita by my then girlfriend (wife in 2wks). I've been through the whole GAS thing a few years ago and also playing £1500 basses. The Cabronita is just great fun and I like the Gretsch style pickup. Equally I do like modify but this one has pretty much been left as stock, with the only real changes being cosmetic. Thanks to a custom made pickguard from UK based company Scratch-It, I have very much gone for more of an early 50s vibe and made the bass look both classic and unque. The ashtray covers have always been a thing of mine since the late 90s and the thumb rest was made for me a couple of years ago thanks to EBay. It's now looking something like this; [attachment=221314:BCi.JPG]

I appreciate this is an older thread but after all the raving about expensive strings I was knocked sideways by Fender 9050 flats. I don't use anything else now.

Having been through a few £1500+ basses, for the last 2.5 years I've owned just 2 Squiers. They are nice instruments that happen to be budget. I regularly receive comments about the tone and how good they sound and that's before I tell people they are "only Squiers".

Do it your way. I use fingers, a pick and occasionally my thumb. I play for the song and not for any muso snobs.

I think a lot of music fans don't mind as they know the deal and some can be a bit overly precious about it. If I was a bass player in a successful band why should I stop just because most of the others have? Often the calibre of musician joining tends to be of a good standard so if the audience know what they are getting, why not? I've seen modern variations of a few classic bands and always had a good night. Okay so it isn't (insert classic year) and (insert famous original member) isn't playing but I knew that when I bought the ticket.

Normal pub gigs range £200-£250 but can be outside that, either way. Function gigs are usually more. 2 sets, 9pm - 11.30pm with a 20 minute break.

I love being part of a band but a huge part of being in a band is loving the instrument you play. So you have to practice and enjoy it, otherwise the band bit is less fun and that was always the original reason for me playing in the first place.

I play guitar in a rock 'n' roll band (there is a difference between RnR and Rockabilly, a whole thread in itself!) and have played with rockabilly bands. Gretsch is obviously king but any single cutaway hollowbody is usually acceptable. And there is nothing wrong with playing whatever you want! The Ibanez is good and I rate the Wildkat too. Personally I flit between a Gretsch, a couple of Epiphones and a tele but even play a strat too - all 50s stylings rather than modern versions. I've posted this before but I urge anyone to watch the experiment 2mins in - it really does say it all! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1hYbd3ebPQ&feature=youtu.be [/media] (edited because I hadn't embedded the clip before)

I have a band of bass clefs the whole way around my right arm as part of a half sleeve. It's 7 years old now and bass clefs didn't used to be as popular (or "cheesy" - I suppose they are a bit now) back then. I also have a small silhouetted P bass headstock as part of my 3/4 length sleeve on my other arm too. There are loads of ideas if you do a google images search around bass tattoos.

In 28 years of playing, well over 20 have been with a Precision so I'd say that BUT all have their place.

[quote name='uk_lefty' timestamp='1464249708' post='3057831']The squier VM Telecaster bass and the Modern player Tele bass (with two pickups) both seem to have bitten the dust very early.[/quote] It's strange but 50s style kit never seems to stick around too long. People rave about things like the 51RI bass but they just don't sell. [quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1464213739' post='3057713'] Those early single coil pickups are prone to damage. I had a paisley pink one and the E string got caught under the rim of the pup and snapped it in half. [/quote] I'd never heard this and it's certainly not my experience. I don't doubt it happens but maybe not *that* common?

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1464203288' post='3057584'] Two versions - one with a single coil, quite agressive. Has a certain charm. The later version with the heeeeowge Seth Lover-designed humbucker can, IME, only be heard by moles and earthworms. [/quote] And to be clear I only use the single coil versions for that reason. I roll back the tone which I can't imagine Roger would like

Effectively a prototype to the P. I use them as my main bass and have done for years. The pickup has it's own charm. Maybe like marmite but they work for me in any band I'm in.

This is an absolute bug bear of mine and the only time I really properly speak up! It's particularly frustrating on the occasions that the massive area of stage is allocated to the shrinking violet of a guitarist who is more fixated on chord charts than the audience!

My 50s style tele partscaster and my 50 strat in Daphne Blue, pictured with my modified Fender Blues Jr [attachment=193478:IMG_1773.JPG]

I had one around 2004. It looked the biz but the pickups were so lacklustre it was pathetic. The choice was either upgrade the pups or sell it on. I opted for the later. A shame because it looked great. That was during my massive Epiphone GAS phase and I was a fan on most of the range. A disappointment. Try before you buy. Hopefully they've got better since then.

I can't help with modern (90s onwards) country but the P-bass with flats / foam is what I would favour. Or an upright.

Mickey Mouse Christmas Club. Some kids music I don't mind but the sheer repetition in which it gets played in my house makes for hard work at the best of times. The worst time was on a New Year's Day hangover.